Gardaí have seized around €230,000 worth of drugs and made five arrests in three counties.

The officers from Co. Laois, Co. Kildare and Co. Cork seized cannabis herb with an estimated value of €100,000, cocaine, ecstasy and MDMA with a combined total of €85,000 and amphetamines valued at €45,000.

Five people were arrested, four men and a woman, in the operation targeting drug trafficking activities by organised criminals.

Gardaí yesterday stopped and searched a car on the M8 motorway close to Portlaoise and seized 5kgs of cannabis herb, with an estimated value of €100,000.

One man, aged 35, was arrested at the scene and is being held at Portlaoise Garda Station under Section 2 Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996.

He has been charged in connection with the investigation and is due to appear before Carlow District Court this morning. He remains in Garda custody.

Follow-up searches were carried out in counties Kildare and Cork. A planned search of a premises was carried out in Caragh, Naas, which unearthed 3kgs of amphetamine and an amount of cash.